In East Slavic mythology and rituals, ceremonial round bread with decorations and a mythological creature, a symbol of fertility.
The preparation of a loaf was associated with a complex of rituals that lasted for several days with the participation of special priests (at the Russian court in the 16-17th centuries there were special courtiers - korovaichata); special archaic tools were used, in particular ritual millstones for making flour. According to the Belarusian song, “God Himself Knead to Knead”: bakers ask God to come down from the sky to help them knead and bake.
The loaf's connection with God can be reflected in its Ukrainian names: divin, wondrous korovai, “God's loaf”. In wedding ceremonies, a loaf with phallic symbols embodied the groom, two halves of a loaf or two loaves - the groom and the bride. Solar symbolism is evidenced by solar and lunar signs on the loaf; in Belarusian ritual wedding poetry, the loaf was identified with the sun and the moon; a loaf, returning from heaven, saw there a month with dawn, etc.
All the symbolism of the loaf corresponds to the mythological symbols inherent in the world tree (with the sun and the moon at the top, etc.): the image of a horned animal in the world tree corresponds to the representation of the loaf itself or the figurines of dough associated with it in the form of a cow or bull. This also explains the connection between the name of the loaf (cf. Serbo-Croatian pravaj, Slovenian kravfij, Bulgarian kravai) with the name of the cow. The complex of cows of secret rituals was reflected in the southern (and indirectly in the western) Slavs and can be elevated to the common Slavic.
The loaf for the wedding was baked with cones; the more there are, the more magnificent the loaf. The rich have golden cones on the loaf. Wedding bread is decorated with banners or flags and other decorations. In terms of size, it corresponds to the number of guests, that is, relatives, honorable, invited - everyone at the wedding: boyars, friends, matchmakers, matchmakers, luminaries, etc. The loaf was placed on a large table, at which the wedding guests sat, it was the decoration of the wedding. The bride and groom put their hands on the bread, ate one piece for two. At the end of the wedding feast, the elder boyar cut a loaf and brought a piece to each. Whoever takes a piece of loaf puts a gift for the young in return - money or a thing, or names his own gift. The young people took pieces of the loaf to the relatives who were absent at the wedding or sent them with lights and musicians. They baked such a loaf for the wedding so that it would be enough for everyone,who will congratulate the young during the week.
A loaf of women, calm and affectionate, happy in marriage, baked a loaf so that it would bring prosperity, love and harmony into the house; they baked holy bread, magnificent, high, glorified with songs the kvashny, the oven, the house, the loafs themselves. The loaf was decorated with pigeons, flowers, periwinkle, viburnum. Like cones, geese and owls were baked separately and presented to guests.